Breathe
by Razer Athane
Summary: Valour is timed – never selfless. He is valour – he has no fear. -Kilik x Xianghua, Oneshot-


Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Soul Calibur.

Author's Note: I had to. I had to. I _had _to. I've got tonsillitis, there's a bunch of other things wrong with me physically etc atm, I have a fuckton of Uni assignments, but once I saw… Oh, once I saw… I had to. Very doubtful that it'll coincidentally be canon, merely an interpretation with the one image, name and fact we as a fandom currently have. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>BREATHE<strong>

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><p>There's fires and screams and death and fear.<p>

There's a bright beam of light shooting into the sky.

It's been years since he felt that stinging in his chest – that feeling that he could lose control or that something's seriously going to go wrong. Things have been going wrong so far, definitely – the invasion around him is a clear sign of that. And he needs to go and help his fellow men in this small village, but he can't strike just yet. Valour is timed – never selfless.

Valour's also considerate and thoughtful, and that's why he's running to the edge of the city, the Kali-Yuga still in his hand. His other's on his wife's back, gently pushing her and what she holds in her arms through the crowds and falling buildings. They're obstructed a few times, but a quick smack across the face with the metal rod sends them to the ground, and they're on their way again. He doesn't want to take the Krita-Yuga from the woman before him, because she'll need it for the lonely journey to come.

They're at the outskirts now, at the far end where there's no turmoil and only a long stretch of trees pushed densely together. Now that they're out of the noise and the heat and the horror, they can hear soft cries – and they both look down to what Xianghua's been holding in her arms. He drops the staff, moving closer.

It's a child, it's their baby child with the same face as her Mother and she's just like a miniature version of the woman he loves. This is the reason he's gotta go back and fight – so that they're both safe and that everything's okay and that he's doing the right thing. He'll face it, this time – alone. He'll face it and _win._

There's a hand on his wife's shoulder and a finger slowly trailing down the smooth skin of his daughter's cheek, and he's muttering orders – commands – suggestions – desires – for them to go as far from this place as they can, to the nearest town or city, and that he'll meet them there and find them someway, somehow. Kilik will find them because he _needs _them.

"Please, don't go," Xianghua murmurs, holding in tears. She wants to let them go but she's trying so hard to be strong for the baby in her arms, because she's going to have to be for the many days – maybe weeks – maybe months – to come. Her hand's gripping the sleeve of his shirt, and her knuckles are turning white because – "They don't need you out there! I need you… _We _need you!"

But he shakes his head, because he knows he must go back and fight off the Evil Seed that's threatening to engulf his present, just as it did to his past and as it nearly did to his future. His refusal, his desire to do what he believes to be the right thing has Xianghua's resilience weaken, and she curls forward a little and breathes out a sob, rocking the baby in her arms and telling her to hush.

"Aren't you afraid…?" she counters, hating that she's trying to pull out blackmail just to get him to stay for the sake of their family – but she should know by now, after travelling so long with him, that as important as his family is to him, his duty's also to his people; she can never change that.

He shakes his head with a small smile. He is valour – he has no fear.

"What will happen if you are killed? What will I tell our daughter about her Father?"

He leans forward and leaves his lips against her forehead for a few fleeting moments before looking down on the child, still taking in the warmth of her skin – and in the background he can hear men come and roar and pillage, and it unsettles the youth, causing her to reach up and clench the end of his sleeve, "Tell her that she was well loved and that she's never alone."

He is valour – he has no fear.

Kilik reaches for the Dvapara-Yuga hanging around his neck and lifts it off of his form. Xianghua's eyes widen for several moments, because she knows how much that pendant means to him and what it does for him, and what he could easily become without it. Considering that the Evil Seed's minions and new master is what's attacking the city, too –

He doubles over, gritting out something that she can't understand – a word, maybe, or just inhumane growls – and with shaking hands, he hurriedly drops the sacred mirror over his daughter, inwardly praying to whatever deities that she'd be protected from the Evil Seed, irregardless of his life or any other consequences; she hasn't had much of a chance to live. He's had twenty-five years already.

Years of training with Edgemaster, years of learning how to control the dark energy within the Kali-Yuga could never prepare him, like he thought and believed. In the presence of the Evil Seed, he's still weak – an instrument of the hate and the pain and the deception of Soul Edge and all its victims – and he knows he's going to kill like he did many long, horrible years ago.

"Leave," Kilik hisses, trembling from self-restraint, because there's no way he's going to kill his wife and his child. The Evil Seed's tempting, though, calling him and saying that they were nothing more than second class citizens not worthy of the name 'human' before him. He's quickly losing his mind and all sense of reality – he doesn't want the last threads to snap in their presence.

Xianghua's watching his eyes – they're turning black, his pupils are shrinking down to nothing, and he's picking up the Kali-Yuga, because he needs something to lean on and doesn't want anybody else touching his precious weapon. She wants to stay here with him. Her love can strengthen his valour, and he knows this – she just wants to stay and help him, more than anything.

"_Leave! Now!_"

She's crying as she turns away, holding her daughter close to her chest, and she shouts a declaration of love over her should before she's well and truly out of the area, before she's safe again.

The threads are almost gone now, but there's enough there to pull a smile together on his face as he turns away from the forest, awaiting the servants of the Evil Seed and their new master. He tightens his grip on the Kali-Yuga and then gets into stance, watching shadowy figures come closer and become lighter.

One thread's left now, just one – his daughter.

Kilik breathes in, and his darker side finally swallows him whole, possessing him and giving him the urge and the drive required to lift the staff and spin in one circle, watching it collide into the jaws and skulls and ribcages of his enemies with unprecedented force. He doesn't realise that there's a few tears falling down his cheeks, because somewhere, the valour's cracking – he might never see her again.

_Leixia…_

And as he dances and delivers death to such a black army, he breathes. He just breathes.


End file.
